


The Fairest Folk

by UnrealRomance



Series: FFXIV Modern Girl Soulmate AU [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: BDSM, But the MC won't be like a warrior, Comes up later, F/M, Femdom, Forgot to tag it, I am a csa survivor who was groomed by the fandoms I was in, I do not want to perpetuate the cycle, I don't think, I like focusing on character first., Might be some depictions of canon-typical violence which is like...not super trigger-y, Minors do not interact, Nurturing Femdom, Slow Burn, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, i always write slow burns, might be depictions of injuries and stuff tho, please, plus the First is a kind of depressing world, so be ready for funtimes and lightheartedness in the midst of darkness.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2020-10-29 21:46:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20803478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnrealRomance/pseuds/UnrealRomance
Summary: A girl named Violet from the modern world drops into FFXIV-- but not onto the Source. Instead she drops onto the First when everyone's tensions are running high and no one knows what to do until the warrior of light shows up.So that'll be fun.As usual I write slow burns that focus heavily on emotion and the characters and relationships and stuff, so if that's what you like, come on down.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY so those of you who read cross-fandoms and also read Unwritten:
> 
> I actually have a good reason for not updating this week beyond 'I'm still sick'. The next chapter is really REALLY long. Like it's already past like two thousand some words and still going-- I don't even feel halfway done and considering most of my chapters are like around a thousand words...yeah that's long.
> 
> Anyway, I might update with it next week or I might still need more time, because you know. Sick. But also because you know. Long.
> 
> _________________  
Also just a note here for anyone who didn't read the tags.
> 
> MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. I am a CSA survivor who was groomed in fandom. I do not want to perpetuate the cycle. Thank you.

I'm incredibly lucky these faer- _pixies_ aren't at all like the Fae from home.

"Go on then, go on!" they entreat me when we reach the house.

Sighing in relief and also anxiety, I march up to the house and knock on the door.

'_Please __**god**__ let this be the place and time in which he's here!_'

There's a shouted greeting or maybe a 'just a minute' from inside, or something- except I can't imagine him saying that.

Maybe something more like… 'one moment, good sir' or 'I prithee, a moment'.

Yeah, those both sound more in the right ballpark. But the latter seems more likely than the former.

My nervous inner musings are cut off by the person I'd been hoping to see, as he opens the door.

First thought.

Tall. He…big…

And that's inelegant but it really was my first thought, and that's so embarrassing.

He's like…god, I come up to halfway up his chest!

Second thought.

…mostly just drooling noises, why is he so pretty!?

I'm supposed to be talking to him, talk to him!

"Uh, hi-"

"Good morn, mada-"

I stop and laugh a little nervously. "Sorry, you talk."

"No no, I prithee, speak," he replies.

And that's when I realize I have no idea what to say.

"...do you have time to hear a really weird story?" I ask.

He blinks his beautiful golden eyes at me and seems to ponder for a second. His eyes get faraway and his head tilts. "Hast thou a wilder story than simply wandering into Il Mheg?"

"I'd wager a little bit wilder than yours, Urianger," I reply.

He blinks. "We hath met?"

"No." I reply. Deadpan.

Clearing his throat, he steps backwards. "Thou hath mine interest, madame."

"You can call me Violet or Vi, if you prefer, though I'd assume you'd prefer I had a surname, actually…" I muse very slowly as I walk into the house.

"Indeed," he says. Uneasily. Shutting the door behind me. "First, if you will, a question."

"I'm not affiliated with Zodiark, Hydaelyn, the Ascians or the Warriors of light and darkness," I reply.

He just stops dead and stares at me. "Ah…I see."

"If you let me tell the story, _then_ you can ask questions, cause then you'll know what questions to ask, right?" I ask.

Considering that, after a moment, he nods. "That is a very good point…Lady Violet."

"I forgot you do the 'lady' thing," I say nervously. Turning away to hide my blush as I walk for the nearest table. "You're going to want to sit down, I think…"

It's not a very long story, really. 'You're a story character in my world. A world separate from the Source and the Shards altogether, though somehow we know about you. And when I woke up this morning, I was floating in a pond or something, covered in fog. Then I found the pixies, asked where I was and figured that I was closest to you, so I came here to get help'.

A few anecdotes about the pixies and bits of detail notwithstanding, that's about the gist of it.

The whole time I tell the story, he sits across from me, silent. Hands pressed together and upright before him with his elbows on the table.

"I know you have no reason to believe me, but I can-" I don't know, maybe prove it? Tell him things about the future? No. No, that would be bad. Tell him things I know about the past? No, other people would know those things.

"Prithee, allow me to ask a question now," he says. "Didst thou _intend_ to traverse worlds, or not?"

I blink. "I…no. Who _intends_ to traverse worlds and then actually is able to do- oh well, you, I guess. Or I mean. G'raha, but. You know what I mean."

"Indeed," he replies. Simply and shortly as he thinks.

"If you're worried I know your secret plans, I uh…do. But I'd rather just let things go, they'll work out fine without my interference." I say as he mulls it over.

His eyes widen a little. "…thou hath not only seen the past, but the future as well?"

"Oh I hadn't mentioned that? No, I guess I didn't…but yeah, to a certain extent. I know what happens next, though not beyond that."

The breath he takes then is shaky, and slow. "Mayhaps it wouldst be best if you didst not mention your…particular origins or knowledge to any others."

"I know, that's kinda why I'm here, with you," I reply. Gesturing around. "No matter where I'd have ended up or at what time, you and G'r- The Crystal Exarch…are really the only ones I can go to. Even your other friends…I mean. Alisaie would get mad at me for not preventing tragedies if I didn't manage to do so. Alphinaud would probably try to use me as some kind of guide through life to try and cheat the system- or hell, maybe he really is beyond all that now, he might not."

Urianger is staring at me intently as I speak.

"Uh…what?" I ask, clearing my throat.

"Thou speakest of mine companions as if…as if thou knowest them. With an understanding of their character and an…affection. Twas merely surprising, for a moment." He says.

"Well yeah…that whole thing the story, that I told you? You know how I said it was interactive?" I ask.

He nods.

"Well…who's usually the main character in stories like that?" I coax.

Eyes flickering back and forth as though reading something, Urianger blinks and comes to a conclusion. Sitting back in his seat, hands dropping into his lap. "The Warrior of Light."

"Yeah, you can like, make your own?" I say, uncertainly. "It's like. Okay so. Imagine a Carbuncle, okay? But glamoured to look like a person and you can pick what this person looks like. Their hair, eye color, armor, every detail just about. Even what race they are."

His hands quickly pop up to press against the top of his table and he inhales sharply. "Prithee…stop. I…I am struggling to reconcile these concepts as simply as they were only a moment before. Wilt thou give me some time?"

"Uh…sure, I guess?" I reply.

He stands up and walk carefully off toward a set of stairs, stopping before going through a weird cage-door thing to get to them.

Taking a deep breath before turning back, he says, "thou art free to stay here for as long as I…deliberate. There is food in the kitchen and other rooms that thou might find rest in. I will be…in my workshop, thank you."

And he's gone and I worry I somehow broke him already.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay here's your announcement that I will not be posting more than this update this week unless I get some huge surge in creativity and finish two more today or tomorrow.
> 
> Unwritten's chapters in the Fade are taking 5ever because it's so fucking long.
> 
> And I'm so tired, ya'll. Writing is one of the few things I can even do, but I have to do it sparingly.

It took a while before Urianger could wrap his head around everything.

In the time it took him to come to terms, I had a meal. Took a bath in one of the rooms- they have running water here, somehow…and then slept for a few hours.

When I got up, I had to wear the same clothes I'd worn the 'day' before because I had no idea how to even put on the one set of clothes I'd found in the closet.

And in the process of bathing last night, I found something that was…unnerving and a little upsetting.

I had a new tattoo I know for a fact I didn't get myself.

An intense fear of needles means I know I didn't just go get drunk somewhere and forget I got it.

Something magic is afoot- either that or one of the pixies thought it would be funny to put some kinda tattoo glamour on me for whatever reason. I don't think that's their usual brand of prank, though.

When Urianger leaves his study, he seems a little surprised at how at-home I've made myself in his kitchen.

I made breakfast enough for two without even really thinking about it. I used to live with a family member, but now…I'm just glad there's actually another person to eat it and I don't have to wait till lunch to finish the food because this world doesn't have fridges _or_ microwaves.

Dunno what that face he made was. Kind of a soft blankness like he was trying to hide something but not trying too _hard_. Whatever that means.

"Thou hast made breakfast?" he questions as he sort of, hangs on the other side of the room. Looking in at me but reluctant to close the distance, I think.

"I mean, it's only breakfast if you eat it," I reply. "However, if you just stand over there looking pretty- it'll soon transform into something much less pleasant."

I'm trying to talk less…like me. Like someone from earth. Be…more flow-y about my language. I'm probably not succeeding.

Can't do the shit _he_ does with language, but I can try to be less confusing to him by limiting my…isms.

"Ah…" he dips his head and his ears sorta…flick back a little. And then he walks over to the other side of the table and sits down.

I begin eating again and ignore his presence, hoping that'll make him feel better.

He _does_ eventually begin to eat, though it's slow and there's this…weird warm feeling in the air as he does. Like the sun is glowing out of him. It dies down after he takes his first two bites, and then disappears.

'_The hell was that?_'

I glance up and around. "…is there…some kind of…I dunno, do you guys use magic to heat and cool your houses?"

He blinks and his eyes haze for a second. "Dost thou require something of the sort?"

"What? No, I'm fine. The temperature is…perfect, actually." I reply. A little weirded out at how perfect it is, really. "I just felt this…flush of heat in the air- are you okay?"

He's sat up and his palms are on the table again. "I beg thy pardon but didst thou not say that thine home world contained not a speck of magic?"

I frown and tilt my head. "Yes…?"

Inhaling for a long moment and then exhaling, he clears his throat. "It is my…duty…to inform thee, then-- that what thou sensed was an Aether flare."

"...you mean I just felt magic?" I ask. A little breathless.

"Indeed," he replies. Smiling a little at my reaction. "Twas a small, subtle spell. But…the fact that you sensed it at all…"

"Was I…not supposed to?" I ask.

He glances down again and his ears do that thing where they flick back. "I…usually prefer if those serving me do not realize I am testing my food and drink for dangerous substances. It is…a spell designed to be undetectable to most."

I'm lost for a moment with the whole situation. I mean.

Apparently I just felt magic- and not only that, I felt magic he was trying to hide. So what does that mean?

But mostly…

I start giggling and put a hand over my mouth as my eyes tear up.

Urianger snaps to a straight-upright sitting position and looks at me in alarm like I'm having some kind of episode.

"Sor- sorry, sorry," I lift a hand and flap it at him. "It's just…" I inhale and wipe my eyes. "Using a spell to check for poison, but doing it so subtly no one would notice probably for the purpose of not tipping off your possible poisoner but also because you likely don't want to insult perfectly nice people who are hosting you is such an adorably _Urianger_ thing to do."

He looks away from me and his shoulders bow inward a little.

I feel bad that I might be making him uncomfortable, but I have to take a minute to recover from my laughing fit.

Meanwhile he looks off to the side, with a distant glaze over his eyes.

"Urianger?" I prod. "You with me?"

He blinks multiple times and his eyes flick toward me. His head doesn't move, though.

It's a really strangely alluring thing and very…alien. At least to me. He's holding very still and at a very odd angle. I've never seen anyone do anything like that before.

He clears his throat and settles into a less strange position. "I…truth be told, I was lost in thought about...well, about a means to heat and cool a house with magic," he says. "I am afraid that once my mind hath taken hold of something…"

"Scientists and mages, I swear to god," I mutter in amusement. "Okay, but before you get lost in that possibility again, I need to ask a favor? Or well, it's a question but it might require you to help me figure something out."

He leans forward and curls his arms together on the table before him.

I'm thunderstruck once again by how extremely pretty he is. Not even in a sexy or romantic way but just…aesthetically. He's…beautiful.

"Tell me what troubleth thou and I will lend mine ear," he says.

"Well…how do I say this…?" I drum my fingers on the tabletop. "Okay, so I've suddenly got like… a tattoo that I didn't have before."

He stares at me, and blinks very slowly once. "A…tattoo…?"

"Like a really weirdly decorative thing," I say. Pulling my sleeve up.

He stares at the mark ringing round my wrist and inhales sharply like-

"You know what it is?" I ask.

His eyes flick to me again without moving. "Thou wouldst do well to cover thine soulmark and…not go brandishing it about. It is…impolitic, here."

I frown… "Okay first of all, I dunno what the hell you're talking about, it's my wrist. And second- hang on, did you say _soulmark_?" I ask. "Like…what, like a magic thing? What does it mean?"

He stares at me for several moments, eyes very slowly and very slightly widening. "…_you do not know what a soulmark is._" It escapes him very quietly.

"No…" I drawl. "Where I'm from, magic isn't a thing so whatever this is, likely doesn't exist there either."

His hands cup around each other and he leans forward so they're covering like half his face. His eyes are turned downward, darting back and forth like he's reading something in his mind or going through though thoughts so fast-

Well, probably so fast _I_ couldn't comprehend them.

My brain runs pretty fast, but I still have to pause to think about stuff. The only time I can process that quickly is when shit is going down. Even then, I don't really _comprehend_, I just get instructions from my brain and follow them.

It's wild how that works sometimes.

With a quick, decisive motion- Urianger gets up, hands planted on the tabletop for leverage. "Prithee, come with me."

So I follow him over to one of his book cases as he pulls out a very large and dusty tome. Then he hands it to me. "Canst thou read?"

"Uhhh, yes but not in this language?" I say.

He nods and opens the book, walking around behind me. Not too close, but close enough he can read it to me.

"Lo behold the tale of the bond between the chosen of Hydaelyn and Zodiark. Hearken to the tale of woe that awaits any marked in white, and the spectacular love of those adorned in black." He begins.

And I realize this is flipped from the Source. On the source…would my black tattoo-soulmark thing be…a signifier of some kind of misfortune?

Ah, that's part of the reason he was so uncomfortable when he saw it, I guess.

Wait…what was that about love for people marked in black on the first?

"Hydaelyn and her idle fancies wouldst bond those who will become content. But Zodiark with his colorful and chaotic ways would bond two souls most fit to grow from conflict."

"Wait wait wait, are you telling me…" I turn around and face him, backing up a little. "This is like…some kind of soulmate thing?"

His eyebrows lift. "So thou dost have an understanding of Soulmates…but not soulmarks…how doth thine people determine their soulmates?"

I blink. "We don't. They don't exist. It's a concept. A story. Like a fairytale."

"Ah…" he says. "Tis not, here. Here…tis very real. And that," he points to my wrist where my long sleeved shirt still covers the mark I tried to show him earlier. "That is the way that you find them, traditionally."

"Traditionally?" I ask.

He pauses and glances away. "One might also find thy Soulmate through…a test of Aetheric resonance."

"So that's probably a thing that didn't come into popular use until a lot of magical research was done into the subject which might not have been done till fairly recently because it's…a thing that just is, in this universe. Right? It's probably the way people determined who they'd marry or something," I say.

He sighs. "Yes, noblemen and gentlewomen hold…I suppose thou might call it a 'ball'. They wouldst not brandish the mark, but describe it or have a painting done that was not…a perfect representation…but close enough to be recognized by the other person who holds it. Sadly they must be hidden, as…well, those of ill-repute have been known to forge them."

"God, that's a gross thing to do to someone," I say, wrinkling my nose. "They go their whole lives being told they'll find that special someone who'll make them complete and then they find out it was a lie and they're now stuck in a marriage they never would've agreed to, had they known."

He nods once, slowly. "Marriages under false pretenses are often…annulled. It is a mercy that we have that policy but…it was only instated after many _many_ instances of that selfsame crime."

"So…" I grasp my wrist around my sleeve and look up at him with wide eyes. "I…have a soul mate? On the Source...or on the First here?"

"Not…necessarily," he replies. Eyes sliding away from me. "T'would not be…unlikely that thy mark is meant for someone in thine own world. No matter how similar to…any here…it couldst simply be a coincidence…or the mark of a person who exists in your world, but not exactly as they do here…"

"Interdimensional and cross-universal travel is-" I was gonna say something that _definitely_ wouldn't have been appropriate there… "It's complicated."

"Indeed," he agrees.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long story short, I am still not caught up on all my writing because my illness took everything out of me, my cycle took more and now I'm dealing with a hangers-on cough and throat tickle and it's been what, two and a half weeks maybe since I got sick??
> 
> So this week might only be this update, I'm not sure. Ugh, why am I so TIRED??
> 
> EDIT: I was wrong, I managed to finish chapter one of Frostbitten and Timid which is my Aymeric/Modern Girl/Estinien soulmate au fic. I'm bout to post it. Thank god. At least I'll have two updates this week.

My second day in Il Mheg is spent much the same as the first.

I sit in the room I chose, thinking about my situation.

Try on the one outfit I could find in the closet before realizing it had buckles in places I couldn't reach before giving up and searching out clothes in the _other_ rooms…

Got changed into my new clothes after a quick scrub with a washcloth because while I _had_ taken a bath yesterday- I'd also gotten dressed in dirty clothes right afterward…

The only thing I found that was marginally not difficult to wear was some kind of dress. It still had a weird little belt-fasten-y thing made of cloth around the waist near the hips but at least that I could just like, tie off.

It was like a sundress or a chemise or something but heavier and…well, I _hope_ I'm not wearing the Eorzean version of negligee, because I can't dress in that other shit by myself without a LOT of practice…and I am _not_ asking Urianger to help me put my clothes on.

But well. It can't be, right? It's not that thin and it's not see-through and it doesn't _seem_ like a sleep-dress…

Ugh, whatever. It's something to wear till I can find something else.

I also got a little scrap of cloth that I think is supposed to be like, a handkerchief? And wrapped it around my uh…Soulmark.

Wild that I can actually say I have a soulmate, apparently. Just not in this world, most likely.

I came here and the magic marked me for someone who was probably back in mine. I mean, what use would there be in me having a soulmate in a world I was never likely to come to?

Or is the fact that I'm here and marked at all- does it mean they're here, too?

Ugh, this is giving me the spins.

Walking out of the room I claimed for myself, I trot down the hallway and into the large room that serves as like…

Living Room and Library? Living Library? Library Sitting Room?

I dunno what to fuckin' call it, okay?

All I know is that Urianger is there when I walk in and that _he's_ made breakfast, this time.

He's actually eating while reading, like the complete dork he is.

If I could read any of these damn things, I'd probably not put a book down ever again so it's not like I can't relate.

Doesn't even seem to notice when I sit at the table with him…

And then I realize I feel that warmth coming off of him again. In pulses and bursts, it rises and falls in the air like he's…I dunno. Doing a bunch of things all at once. I'd have to guess, anyway.

Studying him while he reads and eats, I try to figure out what he's doing, exactly.

At least, until his eyes flicker over to me and he isn't at all surprised to find me staring at him.

"You ass," I say with a helpless smile stretching across my face. "You're doing that on purpose."

He blinked and shifted at being insulted, but settled a little when it was obvious I was being facetious. Though he still looks sheepish and his ears are doing that flicking back thing, again.

"I…rather, I…" he seems to struggle for a moment.

"You know I'm not actually angry at you," I say. "What were you doing?"

He clears his throat. "Merely…testing a theory. Thou couldst feel…all of that?"

"I felt a lot of rising and falling heat in the air, like sunbursts. It felt like you were doing a bunch of things all at once that finished at different times." I reply.

A frown works its way over his face at that. "Sunbursts…as if it is…quite noticeable?"

"Can't ignore it, honestly," I admit.

He turns his head away, hand covering his mouth as he puts down his book with the opposite hand.

His fork is still kinda dangling between his thumb and forefinger- of the hand that's covering his mouth.

How does he make something so silly look so…oddly…good? Like a model posing in a magazine.

"What does that mean?" I ask him.

Fluttering eyelashes and a flicker of his ears let me know I startled him out of his very deep thoughts again- I'm starting to see that Urianger doesn't really…work, the same…as other people do.

His ears, eyes and mouth show his emotions completely differently than other people. Smiles are kinda the same, but his ears also move into them. It's like, they perk up and stand to attention.

It's…_adorable_.

Maybe it's just an Elezen thing? Or. Hm. I guess an 'Elf' thing, here on the First.

"I…" he pauses again. "I wished to see if thee could still sense mine Aether if I were actively concentrating on hiding it, rather than passively casting at a lower level. I intended to make my casting so seamless and weak that thou couldst not possibly feel it…but it seems…thou art quite a bit more sensitive to Aether than I hadst anticipated."

"Wait…does me being able to sense Aether mean I can do magic?" I ask. "Because if so-"

I halt and think about it. God, so many possibilities. But…when would the Warrior of Light show up?

"Where hast thou gone?" he says. Smile on his face. A fond, small, soft thing. "Thine eyes look to a place which mine cannot reach. Wilt thou describe what they observe?"

Okay, I deserved that. I've been poking fun and teasing him for getting lost in thought, sometimes in the middle of his own sentences for a day and a half now.

Still, I flush bright red and scowl at him a little. "I wasn't thinking for that long! I was just considering all the things I had to say, I wasn't done yet…"

His little smile gets a little bigger and his ears perk forward just the slightest bit. Eyes narrowing in something like affection but… I mean, he doesn't know me that well. His eyes just naturally narrow when he smiles, maybe. "And what is it that hast thou in such a dither?"

"I'm not in a dither!" I insist. In a high-pitched, squeaky voice that definitely doesn't convince anyone of anything. "I just…how long have you been on the first?"

He blinks and sits back a bit, his expression going normal. Not blank, but…casual. Pleasantly flat. "I wouldst say…two years. Thereabouts."

Holy shit. Well, it's not as much time as I'd like, but nearly a whole year…is more than I was expecting, to be honest.

"So…if for the next year, I started learning magic…what would I be able to do at the end of it?" I ask. "Or two years. Or half a year? I have no idea how much time I have here before things start happening…but knowing how to defend myself would be…great."

Letting him know too much might change things and that might be a mistake…seeing as he's as sneaky and secretive as I am- which is why I _love him_ thank you very much…well.

It'd be like two spiders trying to weave two different webs on the same branch. We might find a way to make it work, but only if we worked together…

And I don't think there's enough trust between us yet for that to…

"Hmph," he replies. "If thou hast only half a year, then…not much at all wouldst thou be able to learn. A year…perhaps a handful of skills in one specific discipline. Simple ones. Two years wouldst be best…but I gather that is the most unlikely time that thou hast included."

He sighs. "A year?"

Huffing, I cross my arms. "You're not supposed to know! Maybe. Maybe not. I can neither confirm nor deny."

A soft chuckle emanates from him- and I'm liable to puddle on the floor right now…

"Well, then I suppose…if you began learning _now_…" he curls his hands together and the bottom half of his face is covered where he rests them against his mouth. "T'would indeed be possible to have what skills are necessary to…say…fight dirty in order to defend thyself. But in…a limited capacity. And if thou wouldst learn to fight, mayhap something a bit more physical than magical might be easier and faster."

"You mean like martial arts self-defense stuff?" I ask. "I think if I get up and close and personal with anyone, I'm dead meat. Long range would be safest."

His brows furrow but he nods. "Thou hast a most compelling point. Thine arms and legs wouldst likely not be able to take the blows that mine own companions repel with ease…"

"I can learn both, can't I?" I ask. "I mean…I dunno how…there've gotta be instructors somewhere even as…the world is now, right?"

He blinks slowly. "It wouldst be in thine best interest to stay in Il Mheg, if safety is what thou seekest above all else. I am only…practiced in a few disciplines…but I do know the theory behind many more…"

"_You_ want to teach me?" I ask. Totally gobsmacked.

"If thou wouldst prefer a more formal instructor," he begins.

"Holy shit, _no_\- you're like everything- Tarot cards." I snap and then point at him. "The cards you use! We have them on my world, and I'm somewhat familiar with their use for divination. I like using them. You're _perfect_."

He flusters a bit at that but I'm so excited about learning to use _actual _magic tarot cards from _Urianger __**fucking**__ Augerelt_ to really appreciate how adorable that looks.

That doesn't mean I _don't _appreciate it at all, of course…


	4. Chapter 4

It just wasn't working for me.

I sigh and pick another flower. The safe ones only. Urianger showed me diagrams and sketches of them, but…I think maybe I need to update the books in his little library with full-color illustrations.

Can't do that without paint, though. And I don't want to ask him for more than he's already given me, and for something like this…

So I'll just pick all the safe flowers- turn them into watercolor paints and paint some pictures of the flowers I used to make said paint.

It's not like I got inspired, or anything, I just…some of these flowers are confusingly alike and the colors are the only way you can tell. He had to explain NOT to pick up anything purple with a red throat when I looked at one of the diagrams and…that just isn't safe.

You need full color illustrations for stuff like that.

But you can't just pick up a blue flower and expect it to give you blue pigment. Or a purple flower to bleed purple.

Some flowers have an abundance of one color over the other, and others produce an entirely different color than they seem to have, altogether.

So I'm just collecting samples to see what colors they can make. And also maybe a few leaves to try and bleed for their green- though that too might come out blue or something.

I just know I can't go back yet. I almost threw that loaner deck that Urianger gave me out an open window. I'm so tired of being told to focus when that's not how my brain works. He's so patient and I feel so terrible for being a bad student…

The pixies are about, fluttering to and fro- seeking entertainment.

"Oh are we pickin' flowers?" they whisper as they fly around me. "What are we doin' with them, I wonder?"

They love talking like I'm just a fellow pixie and we're all in on everything together. "I'm collecting samples. I'm gonna see what kind of paints I can make out of these flowers and then make pretty pictures with it. Be good and I might paint something for you guys, too."

They make cooing noises and whoops and flutter about me like a bunch of excitable butterflies.

"If you guys can find me a variety of plants and bring me specimens in bulk, I might be able to finish a lot faster," I hint. "But I understand if you're in no hurry to beautify Lhyda Lran with any new artworks. After all, it's so beautiful already…"

"Oh but it would be something _new!_" One exclaims.

"Something new and beautiful!" Another agrees.

"We shall get you as many different flowers as there are in Il Mheg!" Shouts one more.

"Oh and I almost forgot," I make a tsking noise. "If you really want the artwork to sparkle, I'll need some Pearls I can crush. I'd imagine they're as rare here as back where I'm from. And harder to get here besides. Where might I find any?"

"You can't go _there_!" they insist. "You'll drown! Then you won't be any fun any more."

They all look at each other and then huddle in a whispering mass.

It's so easy to get them to do things for you, really. You just have to make it seem like a fun game or get them to be the ones to invite themselves to it. Can't just outright ask for help unless you want them asking for something in return.

Implying they might get a gift if you have certain materials and bemoaning how long it might take or that it might not be finished at all- is really all you need to do to get them moving.

"Ooh, we could ask for the other one to do it!" one says. "The Peculiar one!"

"Uh-" I stutter and blink and…they're all gone. "Shit! I got too greedy."

Tucking the basket of flowers close to my chest, I rush back to Urianger's place at a moderate speed. I'm sure he can handle the Pixies but…shit, now I'm embarrassed I'll be caught out manipulating Pixies.

He just told me like yesterday to try and stay away from them as much as possible.

But in my defense, they're cool magic people with colorful eyes and adorable voices and their accents sound Scottish or Irish depending on which side of Lhyda Lran you're on. They're fun and beautiful, how can I possibly stay away when I could be spending time playing their games and tricking them into doing my bidding!?

Though now that seems to be backfiring, if only because Urianger also has a relationship with the Pixies.

I break through the treeline and see no Pixies. Sighing in relief, because they were either fucking with me or possibly got more interested in something else…I walk up to the front door…which I see is ajar.

'_Ah crap._'

When I walk in, I see that Urianger is entertaining a cluster of pixies with a lovely smile on his face.

And when I say 'lovely', I mean the kind of smile that stops me in my tracks and makes me think I'm dying because I kinda can't breathe.

It's soft and his eyes squint a little into it. Amusement and endearment couple together in his eyes.

Everything about it is…_Lovely_.

Until he glances over and catches my eye and something flickers across his expression. And then he's siccing the hounds on me and I don't find him quite so lovely anymore.

"Mayhap if thou inquirest kindly, she might make thee something now," Urianger says. "I will do all that I can to get thee the pearls thou wish for, if thou requirest them truly. But it will take time."

"Oh please, make us somethin' pretty!" the come and swirl around me.

I sigh. "I will, I will! But I've gotta make the paint and canvas first. So if you can find me those flowers and maybe bring me something I can use to paint on- I'll be happy to make you something."

They make high pitched sounds of approval and rush out the door, slamming it shut behind them completely by accident, I'm sure.

They were flying so fast, they just created a suction there.

And now I'm left alone in Urianger's house while he stares at me like he's recalculating an equation.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I put my hands up. "That was my fault. I didn't anticipate they'd run off to try and involve you in things. I probably should've."

"Thou were attempting to use the pixies to do thine own self-imposed chores," he says.

"No, I just…" I shrug. "Well they were there, they wanted entertainment. I know what that usually entails. So I gave them a different direction for their energy. And…I mean it would've taken me all day to pick the flowers- plus I really intended to paint them something for the village and they liked that, so…win-win."

He hums and walks over to take the basket out of my hands and inspect the flowers. "There are better flowers for thy purposes than these."

"Those aren't for paint, those are samples so I know what they look like when I paint them." I reply.

Tilting his head, he gives me a quizzical look. "Tis a strange bouquet to paint. The colors are not at all complementary."

"Oh, it's for the book thing. Not for a painting," I say and gesture behind me at the bookcases on the wall where the book resides. "The illustrations aren't…good enough. Beautiful, but without color…well. You could end up picking the wrong flower and hurting yourself."

"A good point, I suppose," he says. "The sketches in that book are only meant for the purpose of teaching the anatomical structure and uses of the flowers themselves. Tis not necessarily a good one then if details are left out. But I wouldst prefer that thou keep the paintings separate from the sketches, if thou dost not mind?"

"Oh. I was just…gonna make like an overlay?" I say. "Paint on thin paper so that when I put it in the book, I can somehow stick it in place, so you can see the colors on top of the flower, then flip the little page up and see the sketch underneath?"

His brows rise. "Thou hast given this much thought. Art is meaningful to thee?"

I blink and lick my lips nervously. "I…guess so? Why?"

"I have just had a thought that may be the answer to thy problem." He's now moving across the room to his supply boxes that are…kinda scattered everywhere, but mostly up against that far wall.

"My problem?" I ask.

He hums as he riffles through the box. "Indeed. Thou couldst not find a way to meditate or clear thy mind. But mayhap if…ah, there they are."

Standing from the box with a bunch of…is that cardstock- in his hands- he moves toward me again.

"Give me thy deck," he says.

I reach into my pocket and pull out the deck that he gave me on loan.

He takes them and replaces them with the empty cardstock. "Tis not a widespread practice, to paint one's own cards…but I believe thou needs to."

I blink down at the blank cards in my hand and glance back up at him. "You mean I…I can do the meditation thingy by just…painting my cards?"

"Indeed," he says. Though he flinched a little when I said 'thingy'. "Thou wilt focus on the meaning of each card whilst drafting and then painting them. Which will infuse thy energy into the cards."

I can't believe it. I think he just cheat-coded my brain.

"You are literally the best teacher ever," I say and then turn to walk toward the hallway that holds my room. "I'm gonna find some paper and do some sketches- but I'll make dinner later."

I don't know if he goes back to work or what, but I don't hear from him for the next few hours while I do my thumbnailing.


	5. Urianger POV

My soulmate doth not appear to realize exactly how precarious her position in the first, is.

In truth, she doth not seem at all concerned with the idea that she may hath left a corse behind. Or that her world may be forever out of her reach.

Her manner is oft cheerful, despite the violent upheaval of her life.

It makes one suspicious, of course. But it also makes one very easily endeared…

Mine objectivity hath been compromised by that short glimpse of my mark upon her arm. I can only affix mine attention on her, always, when she is near.

What is she like, what doth she think of me? An she knew, how wouldst she feel?

That is the recurring theme in my thoughts. Shouldst I tell her? shouldst I not keep it secret?

In what manner wouldst I convey that she and I are intrinsically linked by the resonation of our Aether?

"..._rianger…_"

Mine ear flicks and i jolt out of mine intent thoughts.

"_He's just upstairs, really!_"

Violet?

My cards are in my hand before I hath thought over the action overly-much.

An she is speaking, then it is to someone. Withal that tone in her voice…

"_I suppose we shall see,_" Thancred's dry tone floats up the stairs to me as I creep toward them.

I stop and sigh, replacing my cards in their usual place.

"Thancred, my comrade," I speak loudly as I descend the stairs and open the small door to the library. "Thou art as suspicious as ever, I see."

He is not pointing his weapon at her, quiet yet. But I pass a startled Minfillia and pat her gently on the head as I go.

Tis likely he sent her to find me, intending to keep his eyes fixed upon Violet.

"Do you blame me?" he asks. Relaxing minutely to an untrained eye, and rather a lot to mine. "I have never known you to live with anyone who wasn't another Archon or Scion. And I do not know…this person."

"And so you immediately assume I'm a bad guy?" Violet asks. "Isn't the worst move to let me _know_ you think I'm a bad guy? Why didn't you try to charm me? That would've worked well in this kind of situation, especially if you're not sure. You could've gauged my anxiety levels and everything."

Thancred laughs, but I pause.

She hast said many things that make me wonder…make me suspicious. This is one of them. But she discourses so plainly about it, it is…almost as if she has nought to hide.

But then wherefore would she know this? Wherefore in her world with war, but not on her own soil, wouldst she know the intricacies of such things?

"Another bard, or some other form of rogue, perhaps?" Thancred questions her.

"Nah, I had abusive parents," she remarks.

Everyone in the room goes still in a moment of tension but her.

She simply shrugs. "You learn to say and do things that are very subtle."

I clear my throat in the silence that follows. Fighting the curl of agony in my chest. "Didst thou have a reason to seek me out, Thancred?"

"Just passing through, thought we would stop off and take a few days to rest. Been through a bit of an ordeal this week," he replied.

"What kind of ordeal? Are you hurt, is she hurt?" Violet's attention hones in on my comrades and she turns to Minfillia- and walks to her with a brisk stride. "Come on, you can have a bath and I'll find you some clean clothes- unless you've got some on you?"

Thancred watches her closely, but allows her to bear Minfillia away and up the other staircase toward her own rooms.

"Well, she forgot about _my_ possible injuries fairly quickly," Thancred says. Amusement dripping from his tone. "Minfillia tends to do this to people. Usually good people. So I must say my estimation of her is climbing a bit."

"She is my soulmate," I reply.

Thancred turns his head to look at me, expression blank. "Well that was…abrupt."

"I need…help," I say. "With…many things."

"I know you have never been much for relationships, but really I must confess to a bit of shock that you could be this lost," he says.

I clear my throat. "Tis not necessarily our bond that concerns me."

"Oh? Do tell," he replies.

So I tell him…everything.

She did not behave as though her origins wert a secret. She said she came to me because she thought no one else would believe her.

And when I am finished explaining, I can hear the water draining up the stairs.

Minfillia wilt be getting redressed anon, and they wilt likely rejoin us.

"We hath not much time now, methinks," I say. Turning my head toward the staircase. "Mine ears perceive giggling and talking, so it may be a few minutes more."

"Allow me a moment to…" Thancred sighs and leans back in his chair. "Your soulmate is from another world entirely. Not from the source or the shards- something separate. A world without magic, but somehow they know of us and our most closely kept secrets and movements- and perhaps even the future. And you haven't even told her that she is your soulmate."

"You hath the right of it," I reply.

"I can see why you blurted that out, now. This is just…a complete mess," he says. "I cannot believe you have kept even a scrap of your composure."

"I must," I reply. "She…it is suspicious, Thancred. I am not naive."

"No, but you _are_ a romantic," he says, giving me a look that I can only interpret as pitying or consoling. "How much is it killing you not to be sweeping her off her feet, right now?"

My hands clench around each other where I have them twined on my lap. "Doth it matter? What is one man's momentary stress when compared to the fate of worlds?"

"Urianger," he leans close across the table and reaches out to grasp my shoulder. "Your pain and your discomfort are not unimportant. Yes, we should be suspicious and make sure everything checks out…but while we are doing that…enjoy yourself. Get to know her. Lots of people find their soulmates but yours came from a whole other _world_ to be with you and she doesn't even know it!"

Tis not quite_ that_ common…but true, as rare as it is…this is quite a bit rarer.

"Therein lieth my dilemma, Thancred," I reply. "How doth thee think our conversation shouldst go? Shouldst I simply tell her and give her the power of knowing that I know, regardless of what the consequences may be?"

He hums and considers that.

I hear more laughter. Catching myself, I force down a smile of amusement.

"I see. This is not about the fate of worlds so much as it is about the fate of _your_ world," he says.

"What dost thou mean?" I question. "If I were to let down my guard and be manipulated by someone who may-"

"Oh Urianger," he sighs. "She could not manipulate _you_. I know you are a humble fellow, but if you simply let things happen as they usually do… You would figure her out. Even if it did turn out to all be a lie, you would know her. Better than she knew herself. Tis your specialty. Getting to the heart of things through observance and conversation is your secret strength that no one ever sees coming."

Bowing my head, I gesture to let him know that I hear them approaching.

And I think upon what he hast said.

He hast not erred in his assessment of mine abilities.

But I am not afraid of discovering she is a fake. I am afraid of discovering that she is not…and intends to betray me regardless.

A rival or nemesis mark, it…is rare. Even rarer than usual soulmarks.

The possibility alone…troubles me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Violet in a dollmaker, I'll leave the link to it on my blog here!
> 
> https://unrealromance.tumblr.com/post/189673419169/violet-the-fairest-folk


	6. Violet POV, Urianger POV

"Okay so like this," I instruct and then demonstrate with some long-stemmed flowers.

Ryn- I mean. Minfillia- is trying to copy me. We've been at it for about an hour and a half while the guys talked inside. I told her that sometimes men are weird and think they need privacy to talk about 'guy stuff' which really could be anything they just wanna talk about in private together.

I don't think she believed me, cause uh…she's cleverer than that, and more precocious. But if I can allow her to pretend for an hour or two that other people aren't talking about her behind her back because Thancred doesn't know how to parent and Urianger is trying desperately to help-

Well. I'm gonna do that.

"I do not think I am doing it right," she laments. "I cannot seem to get it to stay the way I put it."

"Sure you can, if you hold it," I reply. Reaching out and re-adjusting her hands. "You always forget that part."

"I am sorry," she says in a tiny dejected voice.

"Honey it's just a flower crown," I reply. Reaching over to pull her tight to my side and kiss her on the head. "Whether or not you figure it out, we're still friends, okay?"

She blinks up at me and then looks back down at her lap. "…alright."

"Try again," I say. "This time, remember to hold onto it. Failing teaches you what you _shouldn't_ do in order to succeed."

"...over…under…" she mutters to herself as she weaves the stalks together. "Hold onto them…do not let go…"

It's the most adorable thing ever, okay?

Also though…she's very unfocused. It's almost like she can't concentrate no matter how hard she tries. I keep catching her staring off into space at odd moments.

"Are you feeling alright?" Distracting her isn't a good idea right now but since I have no idea what's _causing_ her problem…I can't really fix it.

She pauses, holding her flowers tightly enough to keep the stems together. "I am well, thank you."

"You seem to have a hard time concentrating. Are you sure there's nothing on your mind?" I ask.

She presses her lips together. "I…cannot concentrate. Ever. There is…a buzzing in the world around me. The energy and life of all things. The _light_. I am always attuned to it. I have never been able to concentrate with it all around me."

Well, that makes sense.

"I'm assuming you've tried to block it out somehow before?" I ask.

She looks at me with confusion.

"Why…would I block it out?"

I am going to _slap_ Thancred _so_ hard that his hair turns from silver to white.

"Honey…" I take her flower crown out of her hands and set it aside before taking her hand. "I have a similar problem to yours. Except you know, non-magical. I'm constantly bombarded with sensations I can't really ignore. But somehow I found a way to do that. I still know they're there, and I still feel them. But I can work around them, now. And part of learning how to turn them _down_, was learning how to turn them _off_."

She stares at me with wide eyes. "But…but my power to sense the light has saved us from Sineaters! So many times, if I turned it off-" Breaking off, she looks horrified.

"You don't have to turn it off forever!" I exclaim and then laugh. "You'd just have to manage it for a few minutes or a few hours at a time. Then you could do it whenever you needed to. You'd probably be a lot more capable in battle if you could focus on your opponent with more than your light-senses."

"Thancred says I have a sense for where things are, and that I should use it," she says.

"Sure, but if you rely only on your senses and they lie to you because your opponent knows how to use them against you, then what?" I ask.

She seems so flummoxed by that possibility and it breaks my heart a little.

After you've been told your whole life that your powers are a blessing, a gift or a weapon- being told that you could probably be without them if you learned to turn them off is probably weird. I mean, it's probably been imperative to everyone around her that she _use_ them.

But the best way to learn control of a thing is to know how not to use it. Restraint is the first step to learning control of anything.

"Okay, let's do an exercise," I say. "And if you start to feel uncomfortable or afraid, you can stop, alright?"

She takes a deep breath, but looks up at me and nods. "I…I will try. If it will help me to be…better."

"I can't promise it will work for you," I say. "Everyone is different. But I _can_ promise to keep looking for a way to help until we find the way that works, if this doesn't."

She nods.

"First, focus on your breathing. Only that and nothing else. Keep aggressively focusing on it until you completely forget about everything but your breath."

* * *

Urianger POV

"I know not what to do, Thancred," I sip at a cup of fresh tea the pixies made for me. "She is quite…a contradiction."

"Well all you've managed to tell me so far is where she's from and that she's your soulmate," he replies.

We hath just finished discussing Minfillia's escape from Eulmore and the increased patrols that were incurred as a result.

Truly, we have spoken of little else with the time we hath been given. But perchance Violet should happen to walk in whilst we are discussing her?

I must needs speak quickly.

"She hath a grasp of our magics, which wouldst be explained by her knowledge of us. But in certain ways she is a beginner and others, not quite an expert." I explain.

His brows furrow, "You mean she knows a lot more in some areas than others? Isn't that normal?"

My fellow Scions have a habit of repeating mine oratory convolutions in a much simpler way so as to indicate they hath understood me.

"For those of our world with knowledge and practice, mayhap. But from a world without magic, and only the imagining of such things…she takes to it as a duck to water." Sitting back in my chair, I sip my tea.

"Well she said these 'games' she played…had visual effects. Is it possible she's seen enough in the demonstration to merit this aptitude?" he asks.

I shake mine head. "No. Tis almost as if she has an innate connection to all types of Aether. I asked what might be the cause, and her reply was more than confused."

"She doesn't realize she's doing it?" He asks. "But that's not possible. In order to connect to Aether that way, you must cultivate the skill."

I nod in agreement, once, slowly. "Aye."

"So either she's lying, or she's got a power we've never seen before," he posits. "How do we test that?"

Mine eyes turn to the window where I see her seemingly meditating with Ryne in the yard. "I have…thoughts about that."


	7. Chapter 7

Thancred and Minfillia left about an hour ago.

He tried to go without putting on Minfillia's flower crown, but I affixed it to his head with the most threatening expression I've ever been able to muster in my life and he laughed nervously and left as fast as he possibly could.

Minfillia didn't see my face so she just thought it was nice he was wearing it. Win.

So long as he doesn't do something asinine like take it off and throw it away once he gets out of Il Mheg.

Oh I'll _kill_ him if he does some shit like that.

"Lady Violet?" Urianger's voice breaks my reverie. "Doth something trouble thee?"

I huff. "Thancred is a terrible father," I say.

There's a very long, protracted pause.

"I see?" Comes Urianger's confused voice.

"He treats R- Minfillia like some kind of burden or a pet," I say. "Keeps himself emotionally distant, doesn't actually take any interest in her and her interests and shit…I just wish we could skip ahead to the part where he doesn't suck at this." Come to think of it, I think he'd actually be better with a pet than he is with Minfillia right now.

Another pause. "Ah. I believe this is something I couldst only understand with thy knowledge of the future…or thine outsider's perspective."

"What, you don't notice how he always puts her outside while talking about her? Or that he tends to stand a certain distance and never look directly at her unless absolutely necessary?" I ask.

Urianger looks over at me from his book and tilts his head. "Thancred doth live apart from others. I suppose it wouldst seem strange if a person didst not know him well…but a shadow amongst shining stars is all he has ever purported to be."

"Sure, but it's worse with her. And she's a _child_, Urianger. She's gonna notice, she's gonna internalize it, and it's gonna make her feel like shit about herself. Anyway, what are you doing over there?" I get up from my own seat and walk over to him. Glancing over his shoulder at the unfamiliar book.

He hums, "going over the basics of creating a familiar. I thought perhaps thou wouldst like to create one. To help with thy training."

"What you mean those floating pig things with ears like wings?" I ask. "Cute but…not really my style. If it'll help with magic training, then sure…I guess."

He turns his head back to the book, but I catch the edge of his smile. "Thou wouldst prefer a different form for thy Familiar? Then thou needst but create it the way thou envision. It wilt take shape as thou direct."

"I can make it _any_ shape?" I ask, baffled.

'_Wow, Alisaie just wanted a cute flying pig. Either that or she didn't care so she picked the form everyone else picked.'_

"Indeed, so which shape doth thou desirest most?" He asks. "Voidsent creature of some dark persuasion? Primal form of one long past or one not yet faced? Mayhap something that seems powerful in the eye of thine enemies?"

"Oh I don't care about 'mine' enemies," I say. Taking his diction a little bit, because it's fun. I miss drama class when I could talk poetically and nobody looked twice at me. "But dark persuasion sounds _really_ cool, so can I make a familiar that's kind of dark and ominous and forbidding?"

"Wouldst thou like to?" he asks, still looking at the book.

"_Yes_," I enunciate. "I mean, if I had my way, that's all I'd wear, too. Clothes that are dark, kind of frayed at the ends with splashes of color. I mean, you kinda dress like that sometimes."

He startles, very minutely. I can see it in the way his ears twitch and he glances up at me in surprise. "Do I?"

"Like what you're wearing right now," I gesture to him. "It's dark and ominous but in a really…uplifting and hopeful kind of way? It's beautiful."

His lips part and he kind of stares up at me with shock, I think.

Well, where he's from, darkness is bad. I guess he never really thought of his astrologian outfit as 'dark'.

"Prithee," he says in a strained voice. "What is thine world's definition and the properties therein, of…darkness?"

Oh! That's right, each world seems to only have a fraction of the meanings that my world does.

"All of them," I say. "Darkness is a concept in my world that encapsulates all the things in the definitions of the source and the first. It is evil, it is quiet, it is self-reflection, it is suffocation, it is…nothing, it is everything."

He stares down at the book now with his shoulders kind of taut. "I…see. Is that…likewise with light, as well?"

"Yeah," I reply. "Mostly my people are of the opinion that there is no fundamentally good or bad things. Too much or too little of anything can be bad. So you have to find a balance."

"That…" He places his hands on the table beside the book, like he's bracing himself. "That is a very advanced, very complex concept of magical elements."

"Well…I know you guys have stuff like Red Mages and they work off of different kinds of balance between the elements of light and darkness," I say. "But that's a totally different kind of balance than I'm talking about."

His eyelids flutter for a second and he looks down, then back to the book instead of in my direction anymore. "What…sort of balance dost thou refer to?"

"You have to find a balance between being dark enough to do what needs to be done in life, and avoid being too dark to be a good person. And you also have to find a balance between being good enough to be kind and have mercy, but also not so good that you become a fixed, immovable object," I explain. Then decide that explaining isn't good enough.

"Hang on, I'll illustrate," I say while searching the room and grab some papers and paintbrushes- the ones that Urianger had me practicing the designs for my tarot cards on, before I put them on the cardstock.

After picking out my requisite colors of paint, I walk back over and sit next to him. Putting the first page down and beginning.

I have no idea how long it takes to get the whole diagram done, but when I'm finished- I think a lot of time has passed.

Having no sense of time is made worse by perpetual light, go figure.

Sighing in relief at the end of my work, I smile and turn to glance at him- then startle when I see he's got his whole chair turned so he can stare down at my painted diagram.

I hand him that one, and then start on the next.

"That first one is all the elements and their supposed 'sides'. Purple is for what we call 'spirit' though you guys would probably refer to it as 'Aether'? I'm not sure if Aether and Spirit are the same thing but they _seem_ the same? Anyway, blue is for water, of course. Green is earth, red is fire, white and yellow are 'light' colors, so I just made it a very light yellow. Then there's darkness which is supposed to be black so I made it two different shades of black- and then there's also air, which is represented by silver here."

He inspects the first diagram while I paint the second one, completely silent and totally absorbed.

"There's also other elements but those were mostly added later on as like…well, we use them mostly in games. Ice, lightning, you know. Things that are combinations of these elements on some level."

Still complete silence, and I'm still working, so I get lost for a bit and totally don't notice when Urianger gets up to pace.

"Urianger?" I glance up and notice he's not there and then catch him pacing around the room, holding the diagram in his hands. "Oh, you need to move to think sometimes?"

And then he stops and drops his head, shoulders drooping, facing away from me. Sighing heavily. "I…will needst thou to explain this to me…thoroughly."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I set a fucking reminder to go off on wednesdays and saturdays and it went off yesterday, I knew it went off and I STILL FORGOT TO UPDATE.

"So wait, can my Familiar be made out of any kind of clay as long as it's been like, blessed by old Fairy magic type stuff?" Violet doth inquire as we page through texts. "Cause if I can make it from several different kinds of clay…"

"Thou wouldst be able to mix clay of any type with the clay thou needs to create the familiar," I inform her. "But why doth thou requirest different sorts of clay?"

"I want to make her look as close to what I want before we do the spell thing to make her perfectly like the picture in my head," she replies. "So that I know for sure that's what I want. I mean, what if I gave her a feature in her design that was totally useless and could be replaced with something else? Hell, I could add gills instead of giving her a choker- or maybe, no. No I should save that for when I make an aquatic one."

Mine brows lift as I turn to her. "Thou art making plans to create more?"

She looks to me with a cock-ed head and a crooked grin. "Well yeah. Balance, remember?"

I would suppose that means she would need at least two, of opposing elements. I think on that and…the sheer, simple brilliance of it.

"What elements wouldst thou choose?" I ask.

She giveth me a strange look. "…all of them? Balance isn't just opposing or complementary elements. It's all of them."

Staring at her, uncomprehending for but a moment, I think on the _strain_ that wouldst surely cause.

"I'm guessing that for some reason, making that many familiars is a bad idea?" she leads. "Why? From what I can tell, you just use the Aether you've got right now, right? So you can recover and make another later…"

"Oh, yes," I stutter. "I…assumed thou meant all at once."

"Oh god no," she laughs. "Where I'm from we have these theories about how magic works like every other bodily function? Like, there's only so much magical energy you can expend at a time."

I nod hazily at her correct assumption. "Indeed."

"So I figured there'd need to be at least a week- if not more -of time in-between creations. Just to be absolutely sure I've totally recovered everything before the next attempt," She explains.

The amount of Aether she wilt be using wouldst be regained within two days even if she were to expend more than is necessary by mistake.

But then that is another shade of the mystery to Violet. She seems either uneducated or overly cautious at times, but then others…so competent and confident in her actions.

"Why a week?" I must ask.

"Well, magical energy is probably also effected by physical, emotional and mental stuff too, right?" Her brows raise in question.

"I…indeed," I say again, for lack of a better response.

"Okay, well I have depression. And an Anxiety disorder. Which means my mental energy is always constantly running low. Plus my paranoia can mentally exhaust me like nobody's business if I'm having a bad day with that. Then there's the fact that I'm not really that physically fit, either. I'm soft all around, so I don't have a lot of endurance. Add all that together and I figure I'll probably be laid up a few days after making each one."

"I…have no idea whether thou couldst be correct, my lady," I reply. "I hath never tested the Aether of one possessed of such mental struggles. Wouldst thou mind if I examine thee, both before and after the feat of creating your first familiar? And perhaps…again and again when you create the rest?"

She is surprised, that is easy to see from the way her eyelids flicker. "I-what? Never, really? Not even unknowingly like…you couldn't explain why their levels were so low, kinda stuff?"

I pause, to ponder that…

"No…I do not believe so," I respond with my own surprise. "Didst thou not say that on thine own world, it is quite common?"

She nods, "the pressures of modern life and the traumas of childhood create a lot of messed up adults who can't deal with day-to-day stuff. Even if they think they're doing well and going to work and nothing seems to be wrong. There could be a hidden disorder that's actually making them _seem_ to perform _very_ well sometimes. And at others, only really averagely. Like a manic episode. You could clean your entire house, top to bottom, only once a month- driven by a manic need to just _do_ something with your hands- and most people would think that meant they were normal. Because they cleaned. Regularly. And they of course wouldn't compare notes with other people to see if it _is_ normal, because to their mind, it already is. Probably because their parents had the same issues."

Fascinating.

"In fact, I'm pretty sure you're neurodivergent," she says.

I pause and blink. "You…are?"

"You have disorganized work spaces that go beyond just a person forgetting about stuff lying around for a day or two," she says and then turns to gesture at my library. In disarray as always. "But it's not dirty, just cluttered. Which means you're not a slob, you just like having things arranged in a certain way that other people wouldn't understand."

Mine entire body goes still as I continue to listen, ears perked, eyes wide.

"Plus, the way you talk, probably means you haven't interacted with many people in your formative years- likely because you find them either tiring or illogical in the extreme. I mean, same," she intones with a humorous bent.

"And you tend to gravitate toward the strange, which is something we tend to do because we feel kinship to the things and people that others in society deem weird or…Urianger? You okay?" she asks. Tone of concern dripping from her words most sincerely.

Unknowing of the…utter turmoil that hast been unleashed within me.

'_There are reasons for __**how I am**__. Reasons I hath been searching for mine entire life._'

But I push them down, with an extreme effort.

I knowest not whether Violet is an enemy, a rival, or my truest ally. I cannot trust her words, no matter how they prick at all my deepest insecurities.

If she truly is innocent of all wrongdoing and suspicion shan't be cast upon her once I discover her purposes thus- then I shall allow myself the euphoria of finally having words to describe what I am. And what it means.

For now, I must be cautious. I must learn what she knows- and be certain to keep track of her words. If she e'er falters…I must needs know before I can fall under her thrall.

"I…see. Wouldst thou mind…explaining exactly what it means to be…what was it you called it?" I ask.

"Neurodivergent," she replies. Nervously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

A bit of honesty will not only endear myself to her, perhaps- but it will ease her mind in the case that she is suspicious of my catching on.

"I hath just understood that there are perhaps…words, and measurable instances…of what I hath always thought were simply the vagaries of an undisciplined mind." I admit. With real reluctance and chagrin.

Her expression drops in a way that was unexpected and her face twists in an expression so clearly of heartbreak.

"I had that realization when I was maybe…fourteen or fifteen? My world has resources and it still took forever because nobody cared to explain anything to everyone just in case. Ask me whatever you want, I'll explain everything."

Despite myself, a warm glow grows within my breast as I behold the consolement she endeavors to give me.


	9. Violet POV, Urianger POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, if you'd like to help me out, please look at this post on Tumblr: https://unrealromance.tumblr.com/post/611158900421591041/hey-so-i-need-your-help

I used clay that was as dark as I could find to make the hair and dress on my Familiar. As pale as possible for her skin, and deep red for her lips and eyes.

There were small accents in brown and red here and there- of differing shades that I created by mixing different amounts of magically blessed clay with normal black, red and brown clay.

Painstakingly sculpting, every single piece. Including her butterfly-like wings. To match every Pixie I've ever seen. Except they were only butterfly-like in _shape_. The intention for the texture and colors is…well, for it to be like dragonfly wings.

And I am not a sculptor, so it still came out kind of terrible.

Urianger was helping me and I still managed to make it look like kiddo's first sculpture.

He reassured me endlessly that she'd look just how I wanted her to, and not to worry about my sculpting skills. But I just…wanted to be sure I was putting as much work into it as I could.

After asking about how a Familiar is made and what exactly is required- he revealed to me that it's the Aether I push into the clay that _really_ matters.

And creating new life, even if she's going to be a familiar and not a child or something…it feels like a big deal. So big, in fact, that I have visited the Nu Mou, the Pixies and even the Fuath in preparation for my familiar's creation.

Urianger doesn't know about that last one, and I hope he never finds out.

He's worried about me interacting with fae of any kind, and I know why. And I agree with him, that I shouldn't be on their turf.

But I waited, just out of range, with something new they could play with. An enchanted dress on a small dress form. About doll-sized. It would move and behave like one of those…poppets. The little minions that people could have of all the canon characters.

Except it wasn't based on anyone, it was just…what it was. A small dress form in a flower petal dress, enchanted so it would be water-proof and enjoy playing games with the Fuath.

In exchange, I got all their information on Familiars and Aetheric Balance. Which was a lot, actually.

They had three scrolls they could give me- or well. Loan me. I promised I would just need to copy down the information, and then I'd bring them back.

The pixies traded for petal dresses of their own in exchange for that enchantment and also…well. I secured a Pixie blessing for when my Familiar came to life.

One of them would be there, at the altar. And it was almost time.

As for the Nu Mou…well. They're where I got most of my materials, and learned how to work them.

It's good that they love working and I love working to repay my debts because it made the whole experience a joy instead of a slog.

The black clay that I used to make the dress was difficult to work, but also easier to form into what I wanted.

Her gauzy black dress with the brown leather bodice, trimmed in lace is so vampire aesthetic that it makes me giddy.

If I could make every familiar in a style that personified some kind of monster associated with that element, it'd be great. A sort of fishman creature for my water familiar, or a kelpie or-

There's so many things to choose from! But I really like the idea of a fishman design.

Fire is still…fuzzy for me, but Earth could possibly just be a human being imbued with earth energy. That'd work, right?

"Thou art deep in contemplation once again," Urianger comments. "If thou art not ready for this, speak now and we shalt postpone."

"No, no I'm ready," I say. "I just. I tend to think of the future work before the present work has even passed. And I do it a lot."

"Indeed?" he asks as he looks over my sculpture. "I suppose thine enthusiasm for the work that needst be done cannot effect the outcome of thine efforts. Thy concentration must be fully on thy task at the moment of creation, however."

He walks over to take a last look at my sculpture. His fingertips don't ever touch the surface of the clay, but he traces the shapes in the air over it.

"Something wrong?" I ask.

His eyes do that thing where they move without his head moving- like a bird pinning prey with its gaze or seeing a bigger bird coming after it in the sky. I can't tell if it's a habit born of fear and trepidation or cold calculation but either way it makes me shiver a little internally.

"Not as such," he replies. "I canst see now why thou wert so adamant about thy familiar's form seeing fruition before the ceremony. Thou didst change this design at least thrice over for the dress alone."

"Ah well," I say and fidget. "I have very specific ideas about darkness and light and how they should be represented and…you know, it's hard to get the thoughts out exactly as they are in your head on the first try."

"Darkness and light?" he asks. Brow furrowing. "Is this familiar not meant only for darkness?"

"There _is_ no 'only' with any element," I reply. "In order to represent Darkness, you have to represent everything that light isn't, as well as the contrasting nature it has to all other elements. Especially if you intend it to later be joined by others of opposite and contrasting natures. So it'll all slot easily into place."

He thinks about that for a moment before nodding once. "I recall thy explanation that elements are only natural forces and therefore have no inherent nature outside of the cycle of life."

"Cool…is it time?" I ask.

He glances out the door. "It wouldst seem so. The Nu Mou and thine erstwhile pixie companion hath arrived."

Ah, right. She stayed with me for three days while I was making my new Familiar and then for the last two, took off to have fun elsewhere and informed me she'd come back for the ceremony.

I mean, I didn't need her there the whole time anyway and I'd told her that- but she'd been so _fascinated_ with the whole process up till then…

"Okay…let's go." I get up from my slight lean on the desk I'd been using all week to study and then construct my familiar on. "And I really only have to say the incantation and then name her? Nothing else?"

His hand settles on my back as he ushers me toward the front door. "Thou hast the option of doing more if it wouldst please thee. But it wouldst be mere pageantry." God if I had any nervousness to spare…

I nod and breathe shakily as we step out into the light.

I've already decided what to name her. Something that's not symbolic at all, it's just a really pretty name in the Pixie language but I hope that also fits her dark, chaotic aesthetic.

Putting her on her stand on the altar where the Nu Mou and pixie wait…I smile.

* * *

Urianger POV

The incantation was simple and easy to remember- once she hadst practiced and repeated the entirety at least twice a day for the past week.

For myself, long incantations are quite simple to remember, but for Violet, it took rather a while longer to affix it in her mind.

Twas a beautiful display as the Familiar came to life. The essence of itself was shadow and absence of light- a dome formed around all who bore witness. A dome of pure darkness.

In the middle there was a spark of deep purple, and blue and red. It began to overflow as if the colors wert contained in a waterfall or fountain that simply couldst not stay contained.

When this happened, I felt alarm for a brief moment. I hadst witnessed no ceremony such as this, that didst require the lengthy process that was taking place.

Violet was murmuring the incantation, over and over as the pixie-like creature took wing. She was unconcerned and couldst not see what took place.

Its skin paper-white and _nearly_ glowing in the dark- its hair perfectly melded with the dome of darkness about us. Eyes opened and _truly_ glowing a bright red.

At that exact moment, the pixie that hadst promised its blessing sprang forth and kissed the familiar on the forehead.

"Be alive, little pixie- and be bound to your_ Precious Sapling,_" she declared in a bell-toned voice.

It is then that I understand what she hadst meant when she explained to me why she wished to bless the familiar with pixie magics…

(_After my training is over, and if I have no further need of them, what becomes of them then? They should have the opportunity to be more than just my training aides or puppets or something. They should have a choice, a life, a future._)

At the time I hadst simply thought she wished to ensure they would go on after her death and find new masters.

Now I understand and my heart is lightened with a burst of joy and leadened with trepidation.

It couldst simply be part of the ploy but if it weren't…

If it _weren't_.

The Familiar is now alive, with a thought and will of its own. It will still be bound to Violet, but it wilt have the option of refusing her.

It very likely will not as she is its creator and the person to give it its sentience and it will feel a debt of gratitude as all people do to their gods and other sorts of creators.

The dome slowly dissipates as the Familiar flutters its wings for the first time and takes its first gasping breath.

And then does Violet open her eyes and reach out her hands. Familiar settling into her palms as if it ever belonged there.

Her smile then was a sight to behold. Something more than excitement and fascination, something more like tenderness, in her gaze.

"Hello, Eo Dohn," she greets it.

A final splash of color and the bond between them bursts into being-

But Violet has expended too much Aether, I can feel it failing her in that moment as her Familiar finally becomes hers.

I catch her limp body before she canst slump to the ground and breathe a sigh of relief that she lasted long enough to finish the act of creation.

Eo Dohn flutters about my head, looking on frettingly at her master- or rather, her Sapling.

"Oh I don't know what I'll do if she goes so soon," the familiar panics. "I owe her my creation! How very inconsiderate of her to expire before I can repay my debts!"

"Calm thyself, Eo Dohn," I address the familiar. "Thy mistress hath expended her Aether. She wilt not perish from simple exhaustion."

Not just yet, I think.


	10. Urianger POV

Violet hath the most curious tendency toward overworking herself.

Tis almost as though she believes there is some sort of time limit in place.

"Okay I'm…nnn," she maketh an irate noise and puts down her sketch pad. "I'm done for today on the design for my next familiar. Can we do something else?"

"Having trouble with her?" I ask.

"Him," she replies. "Opposite from Eo Dohn in every way."

"Ugh, do we have to?" Eo Dohn flutters down from the rafters where she tends to prefer to lounge. "Why aren't I enough?"

"It's not about enough, it's about balance," Violet replies. "You and he should be able to feed off of each other. If something happens and you get trapped in a place without Light Aether, he'll be able to provide it. And you can give him Dark Aether to nourish him, too."

"But there's so _much_ light!" she exclaims. "I don't think it's _going_ anywhere."

Violet's eyes meet mine for the barest moment and we both look away.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," I begin. "But thou couldst certainly benefit from his presence nonetheless." The way Violet hath explained it to me, I gather it could only be beneficial.

"Everybody needs friends," Violet says. "Or siblings, or whatever you guys will be to each other. Companionship is necessary for healthy personalities, minds and souls."

"But you made me a loner!" Eo Dohn exclaims and then flutters around Violet in quick circles. "I don't _like_ being around too many people."

"Sure, but even Loners need some interaction every once in a while," she replies and plucks Eo Dohn out of the air. Stroking her hair with her fingertip. "You are life and energy and nothingness all at the same time. All the concepts of darkness gave you form. Which means you not only need alone time and whatnot, you also need the energy and the life parts."

Eo Dohn sighs and curls up within the confines of Violet's hand. "Fine…but he'd better not be annoying."

I cough to hide my chuckle and pick up a nearby volume. Tis just a treatise on using Aetheric manipulation to grow flowers…but she seems to enjoy bright colorful things, and using them to make her paints.

The flowers in Il Mheg come in many varieties, but…perhaps something she hath grown herself wilt feel...more personal, to her.

"I have just the subject to take thy mind off of thine efforts to create another familiar," I say as I approach.

"Oh yeah?" she turns to face me, looking up at me with an open expression.

"I thought perhaps that thou may enjoy a spot of gardening," I say and hand her the book. "There art ways of gaining seeds for flowers that hath not bloomed since the flood- and Il Mheg only holds those of Pixie origin."

"For my paints!" she exclaimeth as she leaps out of her chair. "Thank you!"

Her enthusiasm carries her out the front door with the book in hand. Likely hoping to find a spot for where she might grow them. Or perhaps to find seeds for the flowers already in abundance in Il Mheg…

"Uri~anger~" Eo Dohn sings as she flutters about my head. "Play with me!"

"Art thou not going to follow thy mistress?" I ask as I follow the mischievous creature with mine eyes.

"She's so boring when she's working! And she's _always_ working!" she laments. "Play a game with me!"

Bored pixies are likely to find entertainment by any means necessary. Perhaps finding a diversion for Eo Dohn wilt forestall any…unpleasantness that she may inflict on the world around her. More specifically innocent travelers betwixt Il Mheg and their intended destination.

"As you wish," I agree. "What might thou like to play?"

"Urianger~!" a messenger pixie flutters through a nearby window. "I've post for ye!"

"Oooohhhh!" Eo Dohn complains. "He was going to play with me!"

"He's peculiar anyhow," the pixie replies after dropping my letter into my hands. "Come play with _us_ instead!"

Eo Dohn sighs but follows the pixie out of the same window it hath entered from.

Settling at my nearby desk and thankful that Eo Dohn wilt now be occupied, I slit open the envelope and take note that it comes directly from the Crystal Exarch.

His reply to Violet's existence, most hopefully. I hath sent him a full report, hoping that he may have insight.

_Urianger,_

_This is both very momentous and very troubling news. The soulmate of a companion to the Warrior of Light! But as you have said, Ascians have been known to cause chaos in myriad ways. So I know not if she was sent here for the benefit of throwing things into disarray, but. My friend…_

_I feel I _ _ **must** _ _ say…you are overreacting to her presence. Even were she sent here by Ascians, it is unlikely that someone without any experience in magic or other disciplines would be very useful to them as an agent. And even if she could be, somehow- it would depend upon her either being so frightened of them that she complied with their wishes under threat of death or they've lied to her._

_If you are truly so worried that she may turn against you, or _ _ **be** _ _ against you, then you must endear her to you. Quickly and with genuine fervor. Show her how strong you and your allies are, and how they could protect her from the Ascians. You say she knows everything already, but mayhap she requires something closer, a demonstration of some kind that you can protect her from possession or being swept away on a dark wind._

_Otherwise, simply be yourselves and she will see whatever lies she's been told for truth._

_Lastly, my friend I must say. I do not think there is any sort of worry to be had here. Obviously my drawing you through the rift caused some sort of chain reaction. Mayhap everyone's soulmates will be drawn to the first ere long. Mayhap it was only a problem with your own connection to this world._

_In short, act natural and have some fun with it. You only get one soulmate._

_From the desk of The Crystal Exarch_

Putting the letter down, I lace my shaking hands together and think over the Exarch's advice.

Of course. He is correct. If I hath any doubt, then simply being around Violet shouldst dispel it. Or confirm it, as the case may be.

"Urianger," Violet walks into the house once again, door closing behind her. "I think I want to go out and look for seeds farther away- still near Il Mheg. Can I go?"

"You shouldst take Eo Dohn," I say distractedly.

"I will!" she says and then dashes out the door again.

…what now?


	11. Violet POV, Violet Dohn POV

Darkness, courtesy of Eo Dohn, can do many things.

It can make my room dark at 'night' so I can sleep. It can probably somewhat mitigate the effects of light sickness like when you're attacked by a sin eater.

But it cannot make things grow.

"Ugh," I slump into the tree trunk, hiding in the very paltry amount of shade afforded by its barren branches. "I guess I'll have to wait until we have more elements at play here."

"Come on, you, grow!" Eo Dohn kicks at the dirt where I'd buried a single seed. It was a flower seed from Il Mheg. Got it from a Pixie. Had to trick them into it with a gambling game.

It was fun! Urianger can _never_ know, though.

"Eo, give it a rest," I say. "It's not your fault, darkness isn't enough."

She harrumphs. "Why not!? Darkness is all we need, isn't it? There's light everywhere, so making darkness should make everything else work!"

"Maybe if you sat in that exact spot for ten years and kept continually project darkness in that area, but even then it might only grow a single flower," I say. "We need the others."

"Well then make something besides light next!" she says and flutters over to me. "We need Earth! Or maybe Water!"

"I think I should go in order," I say with a smile. "It might take me a few months to get _all_ of you made…but if that's what it takes, that's what it takes."

"What are we gonna grow, anyhow?" she asks. "We're not growin' flowers or you'd have brought more seeds to plant. And we're not in Il Mheg where they actually might grow." She's pouting, it's cute.

"Well, if we can grow food, we can give it to people who need it," I say. "Maybe…help them out of a tight spot, where they'd starve otherwise. Could send it all down to the Crystarium and have G'r- The Crystal Exarch hand it out to the poor."

Eo Dohn sighs and flutters over to perch on my head. "It's gonna take forever. Is it even worth it?"

"People are always worth it," I reply. "People like Urianger, Alisaie, Alphinaud, Thancred, Ry-Minfillia. The Crystal Exarch…all of them…they make it worth it."

She hums and starts combing through my hair with her tiny hands. "So why not just make them food?"

"I will," I reply. "But there's people in this world that they care ab-"

I halt and sit straight up, nearly dislodging Eo Dohn who makes a protesting noise.

"Oh my god," I say. "You could help the people at the Inn with Tesleen!"

"What?" she peeks down over my head and into my face. "What could I do with…what?"

"In Amh Areng," I say with climbing excitement in my voice. "There's people out there in an inn where they wait to die from light poisoning! You could suck the light out, or balance it with darkness or both!"

She flitters down to face me and crosses her arms. Thinking hard. "Maybe I could do…something…but I doubt I could fix it all by myself. Like you said before, darkness isn't enough."

Shit, she's right. I'd need all the other elements to balance the energy inside people. Otherwise we might end up accidentally creating voidsent or something.

"Come on, we've gotta talk to Urianger about this," I say and take off toward Il Mheg's boundary. "Distract the Pixies if they take an interest in me, okay? I can't stop and play right now."

"Sure, at least it's more fun than _failing to grow a __**flower**_!" she says while streaming alongside me.

I laugh and run faster.

It only takes a few minutes to get back to Urianger's and by the time we get there, I'm gasping for breath and walking. "Shit…I'm out of shape. I need to start doing laps or something."

Eo Dohn giggles like a bell chiming and flies around me in circles. "Slowpoke!"

"Easy for you to say!" I protest. "You've got wings! Flying is way faster than walking or running."

"Lady Violet?" Urianger is in the doorway.

When did he get there? When I was arguing with Eo Dohn? Shit, I need to notice my surroundings more.

"Urianger! I need help," I say and walk over to him. "You know about light sickness, right? You like, studied it and took samples and junk?"

He blinks like I just hit him with a wall of solid air and backs up into the house as I approach. "Ah…yes?"

"Okay so could my familiar designs help with light poisoning?" I ask as I enter and Eo Dohn perches on my shoulder. Closing the door, I allow my eyes to adjust to the darkness- as Eo Dohn always throws up a cloud when we get in the house.

"I was thinking if we-"

And then I blink rapidly because apparently Urianger wasn't reacting to me, and he was mostly speaking in reflex.

He's on the floor.

My brain shuts down and I go into crisis mode. "Eo Dohn, go to Urianger's room, put up a cloud of darkness and maintain it for me?"

"Yes, ma'am!" she rushes off up those steps, past that weird gate that cordons off the stairs to his room.

Calculating exactly how much of him I can even pick up, a part of me wishes Thancred were here so he could help.

Sighing, I pick up his torso and sling it over my shoulders.

Fireman's carry should hold until I get him to his room, at least.

If not, I can take a break. I just can't _drop_ him.

So I shrug him onto my shoulders a bit more securely and grit my teeth as I stand up and start to carry him. Have to compensate for his weight by kind of hunching into a crouch and taking it slow, but I eventually make it to the stair-gate.

It only takes a moment to swing it open and start up the stairs, but about halfway through I feel like I'm going to pull something.

Stopping on a step and leaning against the cage on the side that's kind of like a stair rail but super high- I catch my breath.

Eo Dohn comes to the top of the stairs and makes a noise of dismay. "Oh, you'll never get him up here all by yourself!"

"What else…am I supposed to…do?" I ask.

She flutters down to me. "Combine with me!"

I blink. "I'm sorry, what?"

Her little brows furrow. "Don't you know? You created me to be a _part_ of you. Bound to you, like a familiar to a witch, you said. Which means I can become even _more_ a part of you. It won't last long and you'll be exhausted afterward, but…well, it's no different than now, is it?"

Guess there were some features to Eo Dohn that I added without meaning to. Part of creating something with thought and intention instead of just parts and programming, I guess.

"Alright, what do I do?" I ask tiredly.

"You have to use a command phrase. You haven't made one up yet, so I don't know what you'd have to say," she says.

I groan and think hard. "Alright. I've got one."

Cracking my neck and back, I resettle Urianger across my shoulders. "Eo Dohn…Be as one."

She cackles madly as darkness surges out of her and light pulses within it. "Oh this is going to be fun!"

* * *

Violet Dohn POV

'_Hm?_' Is the first thought I've ever thought, I think. Or is it…because I can remember other thoughts- but none so clearly as this one!

My body feels like it's heavier-lighter than usual. And my hair flows long over my shoulders which is familiar-unfamiliar.

When my eyes open, I see a set of stairs beneath me and feel a weight across my shoulders.

Looking aside, I see a mop of silvery hair and remember I was doing something. Carrying someone somewhere. Why?

Is he asleep? Oh, I mustn't disturb him, then!

But do I know him? I feel as though I do. Someone close but not close. I know him but I do not remember him. But I do remember him.

What was his name…

No matter!

I flutter my wings and use them to help me pull myself up onto my feet. I can't fly with this much extra weight on my shoulders- maybe if I were holding him in my arms, but…I have to walk.

Doesn't mean I can't use my wings to lighten the load, though!

So I carry him up the stairs and see an open room.

I feel an enchantment of darkness on it. It feels like me. Is that where I was going?

Taking him into the room and finding the first available soft surface, I dump him gently onto it. It's a bed, I think! It feels like a bed.

I flick my wrist and disperse the darkness to arrange him better on it. It _was_ a bed!

And now he's curled up on his side on a soft mattress and I flick my wrist again to restore the darkness.

"Okay…" I say. And then pause. "Now what?"

_Paff!_


	12. Urianger POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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I hadst woken in a most peculiar fashion this morning and simply remembering it is enough to nearly send my heart beating out of my bosom.

Violet had been draped upon me when I awoke and there were…several strained minutes of silence as I memorized every curve of her face and wondered what on Earth had happened the day before.

She had not awoken when I moved her, which had worried me. But the state of Eo Dohn, worried me more.

The Familiar was collapsed upon the floor just next to my bed. I felt the intense desire to tuck her in next to her mistress but instead took her down the stairs with me.

After much examination, I determined the problem lie in Aether Exhaustion.

A few spells for both of them, to rejuvenate their personal supply of Aether, and they shouldst be fine.

But whilst Eo Dohn hath long since recovered…her mistress hath not.

"She'll be okay, right?" Eo Dohn flutters restlessly above my head. "I _can't_ be the reason my partner and mistress doesn't wake up forever."

A shiver gilds down my spine at the thought. That I may have lost my soulmate in such a way…

Nemesis or no, it wouldst have been…a blow to me. To know the possibilities that couldst have existed and to know they are all…gone.

But she is stable, if not…conscious. She will awaken.

"Thine Mistress will live through this," I say softly. "However…I am still a bit…shall we say, perplexed…as to how ye got into this frightful state to begin with."

"We combined," she replies. "I don't really understand it myself. I only knew it was something I was made for. She seemed surprised by it, so I don't think she meant to."

Sighing deeply, I press my fingertips into the pressure points above the bridge of my nose.

I hath finally come to the simple conclusion that Violet is a dreamer. She thinketh of what could be possible and calculates every possibility for making it happen that she can conceive of.

This doth not mean she cannot falter in her reasoning, or be wrong. In fact it means she is often wrong and must be corrected. But often it simply means she finds a way to use magic that I hath never thought of. Something that theoretically, could work. I hath simply never tried it before.

She asked me if she could use nature and wind Aether to strengthen fire.

The very idea is absurd to me but thinking on it a bit longer, I couldst see why she thought it may work. Wood and air _do_ help fire to burn, after all.

"What dost thou mean by 'combine?" I ask.

"We became a person," she says. "I think? The memories are hazy. We were…each other, but neither of us. A new us. A new…someone."

Wonderful. I hath absolutely no idea what that means. And yet. Fascinating.

_I hath absolutely no idea what that means_.

It feels as though I am back amongst the scholars of Sharlayan.

Finding mysteries the likes of which no one else couldst possibly dream of and solving them.

Except this one…this one can speak. That will be useful.

"_Urianger?_" her voice drifts from upstairs. Slurred and frantic.

Ah.

I trot up the stairs a bit more quickly than wouldst usually be advised, especially in mine heeled shoes, but-

After the state I was left in last night, and how she struggled to help me…

The sudden confusion of waking alone must be disorienting. She must be afraid she didst not manage to succeed.

Walking into my room with the grace of a lumbering buffalo- "Ah, Violet, I-"

She's sitting up against my bed, looking weak and pale and is paused in the action of attempting to push herself up.

Her expression is so confused, frightened, determined…

A piece of my heart shatters apart. If this is a performance for the benefit of endearing mine eyes, then it is well done. And if it is not, then I am a _wretched_ creature.

"My lady, be calm," I say as I approach the bed and kneel next to it. "You hath borne me from my slump-ed place upon the floor to the warm bosom of mine own bed but hath exerted thineself in the process."

She blinks slowly at me. "I need to be more awake if you're gonna be using words like 'bosom'."

Coughing a bit into my fist to clear my throat as I stand, I reach out a hand to her. "I hath labored to make breakfast but alas I am not quite so adept as thee. We wilt have to settle for eggs and toast."

Violet smiles and reaches out to take my hand, allowing me to help her up. My heart throbs in my throat and I taste sunlight and metal as she walks past me to the door.

"No worries, I can cook up some of that oatmeal stuff I made for you the day before yesterday? We've got enough apples and cinnamon to really spice it up."

I follow her as she descends the stairs- one of her hands clutched around the banister.

"That would be most welcome," I say. "But are you certain you do not wish to rest further?"

"God, I don't know how long I've been asleep but I feel…new," she declares as she approaches the oven. "I've _never_ had this much energy waking up before."

I frown at that. "Doth thine own body rebel against thee with shivers and tremors?"

She glances over her shoulder at me in surprise. "What? No, I just feel good."

My eyes narrow and I glance away, thinking.

"You don't experience that?" she asks.

I glance back at her. "An abundance of energy?"

"No, the lack of it. Like on a regular basis, you don't feel tired?" she asks.

I hum. "I believe I used to…but my near-constant contact with Aether and its many forms tends to…as you say, fill me with extra energy. Sometimes it is too much and mine own body will move against mine orders."

"Wow. That's why you always seem so put-together," she says wonderingly. "You're kind of a mess like me, but you found a job that takes away like eighty percent of the mess. Sure, I can see it being too much sometimes but you made yourself _functional_ without even realizing…that's amazing. You've gotta hit me with some spells first thing in the morning from now on, I wanna be that motivated and energized."

I can scarce follow her at times, as she speaks with an assumption of knowledge I do not have, very often. But this is easy to understand.

Violet is very much like myself. She sees that some issue she has in not present in me precisely because of constant contact with Aether? I never noticed such a thing had changed me in so drastic a fashion, but…looking back on my schoolyard days with the children of my own age…

I began to lose interest in many things about the age of ten or eleven, I think? And then it simply came back after I hadst decided to become an Archon.

"You think you can like, put a healing stamina spell on me or something?" she asks as she pours the ingredients for the oatmeal into a pot.

The water is already boiling. How long hath I been a party to my own thoughts?

"Aye…if that is what you believe you need, then I will do my best to accommodate thee." And hopefully earn some answers as to my own being in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://strawpoll.com/kfugrps1h


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want anyone to worry, so if you ARE worried, just read the bottom message. (referring to what's in the update.)

It didn't take as long to make Il Feo.

Finished him just yesterday after a solid few just building him up and getting the concept perfect in my mind. Urianger didn't even have to oversee the ritual this time, though he did anyway- and I didn't faint!

My light familiar flits in a disinterested fashion, around the house. Eo Dohn follows him with a frenetic, excited energy. Even though she didn't think she'd _need_ him, she's nearly vibrating at the prospect of making a new friend.

I wanted to make sure to represent both good and bad in the familiars, to strike a true balance.

Eo is very changeable, but this also means she's a bit flighty and unfocused. Il for his part seems to be quite elegant in a different way than she is. Clean, in white suit-seeming outfits that only change to suit the environment. Stiff and well-practiced when he speaks.

Eo is freedom and challenging fate. Il is structure and accepting what cannot be changed.

"This place is ghastly," he says from his place near the ceiling. "Books…everywhere."

He almost sounds _pained_.

"It's a system that makes sense to Urianger's brain so he can more easily navigate it," I say. "It's order, it's just an order you don't yet understand."

His translucent white wings flutter as he considers this, moving down more to my level. "I wasn't aware there was more than one." I modeled his wings after a Moth's. Eo's are colorful if the light hits them but his are just pure white.

"There's all kinds of order. Ways to make things flow naturally the way they should. One kind for everyone wouldn't work. It never does. Do you think you can figure it out?" I ask.

He flies over to a pile of books and reads the spines as he spins down around the stack. Then lands on the floor on his feet in his little…is he wearing white leather wingtips? How.

I didn't put those on him. I just did the butler-y looking suit.

"This will take forever, where is the hooligan?" he shoots up into the air and flies off toward the upper level.

I almost lose it at 'hooligan' I swear to god. "Il Feo, don't you bother him while he's working!"

My plea falls flat as Il Feo's negative trait is stubbornness. Which I have just discovered right now. Delightful.

Trotting up the stairs, instead of running to be sure I don't trip, I find Il Feo in Urianger's room.

He usually does his most sensitive work in there, but today he seems too tired to manage it.

He's slumped over his desk, dead asleep.

Walking over to him, panicking a little internally, I touch his shoulder and I'm relieved when he shifts around, almost waking up.

So definitely _asleep,_ and not passed out. Thank god.

I gesture at Il Feo to get out of the room, but he rolls his eyes at me. "If you allow him to continue to sleep _here_, it will be bad for his back."

Urianger's body jerks and immediately goes still.

"Jesus, Il, you woke him up!" I say in a quiet voice.

Urianger slowly sits upright, blinking slowly as he takes in his surroundings. "Lady Violet?"

"Sorry Urianger, Il was curious about your organizational system and apparently has no concept of boundaries- which isn't...right, he's order so he should have an inherent understanding of decorum." I turn to look at him. "Il, do you not see this as a breach of etiquette?"

He actually has the grace to look ashamed of himself. "My apologies for overstepping, I will be outside awaiting acknowledgement in the proper fashion." He says it stiffly and leaves the room with Eo Dohn following worriedly after him.

Sighing, I turn to Urianger who appears to be rubbing his temples. His expression is pained.

"And you, you are taking a nap," I say.

He looks up at me with squinty eyes and his hand moves to push his hair back away from his face.

I don't expect the wave of _'prettiest man I've ever seen'_ to rush over me like that, right then, but it does and I push it back. Don't really need to focus on how beautiful he is right now.

"That will not be necessary, I-" he begins.

"You misunderstood," I say and cross my arms, planting my feet. "That was not a question or a suggestion. You _are_ gonna take a nap or I am gonna make your entire life miserable till you do. Loud noises, bright lights, annoying chatter. I am capable of making you _very_ unhappy."

He regards me for a few moments before sighing and standing from his seat. "Thou doth possess the stubborn will of an enraged buffalo."

"You're damn straight," I reply. "So what'll it be: misery or a nap?"

Shaking his head and sighing, he puts his hands up in surrender or conciliation, either way it means I win.

"I yield to thine will and capitulate to thy demands. But pray do not let me sleep overlong," he says. Walking over to the bed. "I assure thee that I am quite capable of functioning with less sleep than is usual. I have been functioning in this manner for nigh on twenty years or more."

"Functioning doesn't mean you're doing well. A broken machine can still function if you rig it just right, that doesn't mean it isn't still broken," I reply.

He looks askance at me from his bed. "I assure thee-"

I put my hand up and then point imperiously at the bed.

Sitting down, he leans his forearms on his thighs and I have to think about anything but his broad shoulders and the fact that he's wearing a _gorgeous_ dress-

I don't know what it is, my genderfuckery or what, but I've always found men in feminine clothing to be so _fetching_. Not in a fetishy way. Just…beautiful. Breathtaking. And women…women I think I like to see in dancer garb more than anything else. Showing off skin but still leaving most to the imagination.

Why am I thinking about that right now!?

Marching over, I gently push on his shoulders until he's falling back onto the bed. He makes a slightly surprised noise and his eyes are wide as he stares up at me. Hair fanned around him and hands lightly clasped around my wrists.

I pull away and turn toward the door. "You'll sleep _all night_ or I'll ask Eo and Il if there's any way to magically knock you out. I promise you won't like it if I find you up and working in the middle of the night."

And then I walk out of the room and shut the door behind me, silencing all the words and images in my head.

'_No brain, that was __**not**__ a subby bottom reaction, that was just a friend who was very surprised that we pushed him into bed. No, we couldn't have just grabbed him by the hair and straddled him, that is a trust thing, there needs to be trust and discussions first, and you __**know**__ this._'

Sometimes being a Dom is very distracting. Especially when you meet someone like Urianger who is just…_begging_ to be torn apart a little. Ugh.

Just let it go, let it go, let it go-

Fuck now that SONG is stuck in my head!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I practice only Good BDSM in my stories. Which means this was just an errant thought, and you don't have to worry about them jumping straight to BDSM stuff without any trust. I know a lot of you have read my unwritten story specifically because in versions of it in the past, I've addressed BDSM stuff with the time and respect necessary for it.
> 
> It will still take a LOOOOOONG time for them to get there, but Violet is very aware of it every step of the way because she's got experience.
> 
> Meanwhile Urianger has probably only read books about it and won't recognize what it is for a while yet.


	14. Urianger POV, Thancred POV

It is difficult to follow Violet rather than avoid her as of late, but…

To be quite truthful it has become difficult to suspect Violet and equally difficult to trust her and I know not why my mind turns to fits and starts where she is concerned.

I hath never reacted in such a way to being shoved. In fact mine usual reaction to being physically displaced is either an aether discharge or total stillness and a calculating moment before a counter-attack.

But this moment was not in battle, so I stilled in confusion. But also something else.

Like the blooming of a flower in a color you cannot name, a feeling blossomed within me. A warmth in my chest that spread to my extremities. Though it was not desire, as I know the feel and the sting of that particular emotion. But something different.

Her expression, as firm as it was, and her eyes as hardened as they were, made me feel…safe. Protected. Swaddled in the loving arms of another without being held at all.

And the way she _pinned_ my body to the bed as if to keep me there…part of me wishes she had.

But again…twas not only desire. No it was…deeper and more complex and something that I fain begin to understand.

So I hath stopped pushing for her to tell me every detail of her day and her thoughts as I would before, desperate to know enough of her to stop feeling this suspicion like a poison in my body.

I must needs know what I am feeling before attempting to know her further. I am not an incautious man and I will fain begin to be one now.

Following Violet feels wrong, but the Lady doth have some agenda or she wouldst not sneak away. She hath the entirety of Il Mheg to explore but she walks to the very edge of it where I must stay back and hide within the underbrush to avoid being seen.

Her destination becometh clear when she doth approach a flat patch of dirt, oddly colored compared to the rest.

"Okay Il, give it a try," she speaks to her light-aspected familiar.

He flows easily down to the dirt and hovers above it. And then a strange process begins. He glows with light, but Eo Dohn appears as he does and feeds on the light while producing Darkness.

They seem to be feeding off of each other, and Eo Dohn off of the light in the soil below. It begins to darken and my lips part as I watch.

After a few moments of this, Violet makes a frustrated noise and tells her familiars that it is enough.

"We're still not quite getting the soil quality we should be. It's less sandy and useless but still kinda grainy instead of moist and gooey like it should be. This is good soil!" She laments. "I guess we really will need Fire to bring out the best in the soil and water to moisten it and...maybe we'll end up needing wind for pollination later, too. So I guess our goal should be to get fire and water awakened to life and then we can plant things and bring wind out to pollinate after something grows. Ice can help to simulate a winter season and we can use fire at the end of the season to simulate the spring. Which will keep the soil from going bad too fast."

Watching with my heart in my throat, I realize this is no agenda. Violet is endeavoring to find a way to make the world _live_ again. All on her own.

It is likely not something we were able to do. Else she…wouldst she feel compelled to fix a problem that she knew wouldst soon be resolved?

I rather think not.

To be able to save the first, is one thing. To restore it wouldst be another. Even after the plan has come to fruition, wilt we be able to help the people grow more food?

It shames me to say I had not thought on the issue. So consumed was I with the idea of saving the first and the Source from the next Calamity, I gave not a moment's consideration to what wouldst occur ere we had left or after.

I hath thought before to somehow employ magics to aid in protection, healing, some forms of restoration. But it was only ever theory and I didst not push myself to discover in the way I once would have. I am…

To say that I am dreading the day our dear friend will fall to this star would be an understatement.

He hath always been a bastion of strength and calm but our plans…they wilt harm him. In ways that are truly monstrous. I know naught else I can do.

And so I focused mine attention upon studying this world, how it works and how then to do everything that must needs be done. And nothing more.

That alone has kept my attention for years. But perhaps it is time…I changed my focus.

* * *

Thancred POV

When we come upon Violet, just outside Il Mheg, she's staring rather forlornly at a patch of barren dirt.

It's rather comical, actually. Minfillia even walks over and pokes her hand to get her attention, she's so absorbed with the dirt patch.

She _flails_, albeit in an impressive fashion- ducking and rolling away from Minfillia and coming up on her feet.

It's all very amateurish, but you can tell her instincts have been honed, somehow.

Honed simply to escape, to run away and survive. But not with a dedicated teacher, that much is obvious.

"Calm yourself," I say as she whirls around to face us. "Tis only us."

"Jesus," she wheezes, out of breath.

Endurance isn't the best either, it would seem.

"I'm sorry, but you took no notice of our presence, so I thought…" Minfillia speaks softly but then goes quiet.

Violet laughs a bit breathlessly and rolls her shoulders. "Just try calling my name first next time. I'm honestly a little shocked I didn't hit you in reflex. I tend to do that before I try to run away most of the time."

"I wasn't aware you'd been in any combat situations," I say.

No, in fact she professed to having been in _none_, ever.

She looks at me in an odd fashion. "You're an only child or something, right? Minfillia the only sibling-type person you ever had around?"

I cross my arms and attempt to control my emotional reaction to Minfillia's name being mentioned casually in conversation and _knowing_ which one to whom she refers. "I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Well I had brothers," she says primly. "And brothers tend to like popping out of nowhere at you for funsies sometimes. Because they like it when you jump and scream. Though not so much when you smack them in the face with a backhand because you whirled around so fast and you're so gangly you can't control how your limbs fly around."

I laugh, short and abrupt and then softer for a longer moment. "No I suppose I do not have the experience to draw upon, then. How is Urianger?"

When her expression darkens in worry, I feel a bit anxious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, I am only updating one story a month at the moment so that means there's only one more chapter of this coming for the time being and then next month's wednesday will be a new story getting updated.
> 
> I thought'd I'd already said that before but I dunno if you guys knew what that meant or not? Whatever, I'm so tired and god I need that anti-menses shot.
> 
> Oh also, before anyone insists that of course Urianger was doing more than he thinks he is-- that's the point. His mindset is that he should always be doing more, especially if he sees someone else doing something that he's NOT currently doing.
> 
> I don't want you guys thinking I'm writing it so he was actually just sitting on his hands and stuff cause like, I try to be subtle and nobody picks up on stuff sometimes and then I try to slap people in the face with things and they seem to get an entirely different message then, too.
> 
> So I'm just gonna come out and say this this time to pre-empt any misunderstandings.


	15. Chapter 15

"He's working so much that he's actually passed out once," I explain to Thancred on the walk back to the house.

I sent R- Minfillia. Minfillia. Remember that that's the only name she _has_ right now. The name she gets later is special because _Thancred_ gives it to her. I can't fumble that. It's _important_ that I not fumble that.

So. I sent Minfillia to pick some flowers that I showed her last time she was here, and ONLY those flowers. Some new and different ones will likely catch her eye, so I told her not to touch them bare-handed in case they have poisonous thorns or secrete a toxin or anything.

She promised to be careful, all I can do is watch her with Thancred as she flits from bush to bush and try to catch her before she makes a mistake that could hurt her.

"Passed out?" He says. Askance. "Entirely unconscious?"

"Has he not done that before?" I ask. That worries me.

"Well…" he hedges. "He sometimes dozes off in the middle of the day when he's worked through the night, but…"

"He did that, too," I say. "Passed out on his feet, I had to carry him to bed. And then…a few days later- maybe a week? Just the day after I made Il," I gesture at the light familiar fluttering above us. "Fell asleep at his desk. I had to threaten him into taking a nap."

"Yes, that is usually what happens though it tends to be Alisaie, Lyse or Y'shtola who does the threatening." He sighs slowly and an amused look crosses his face. "On occasion myself or Tataru, even."

"I don't like it, will you stay a while?" I ask.

He seems surprised by that and glances around to check on Minfillia's position before answering. "Stay here in Il Mheg, you mean?"

"I think if we can all pressure him into sleeping every night, he might start to get better," I say. "He…he's paler than usual and…"

Don't cry. Don't cry all over Thancred.

"Well I suppose we've no pressing business at the moment," Thancred says hurriedly.

Probably noticing that I'm on the verge of tears.

"You can work with him while you're here, too-" I break off and look for Minfillia, only to find her back behind us a bit. I slow our walk and Thancred slows with me. "Not only to enforce breaks but to maybe work out the idea I had? He's been killing himself trying to see if it would work."

"What idea was that?" he asks.

"My familiars," I gesture upwards where Il and Eo are circling each other, dancing through the light and the shadow cast by the tree canopy. Generating their fields of energy and feeding off each other. After the first few times, they seem to just lapse into it naturally.

Which is a good thing as Il needs it to surive.

Eo eats light, but Il eats darkness. There isn't much around. So Eo has to make all the darkness that Il requires. It's…a system. If there were more familiars, it wouldn't seem so strange, but they're the first.

"I wondered if we could help the people poisoned with light," I say. "Cure the whole…turning-into-sin-eaters…thing."

He frowns and crosses his arms. "How?"

"Well Eo Dohn produces darkness by eating light and Il does the opposite. So I figured we could find a way to balance their internal levels of both?" I say uncertainly. "I only mentioned it once but it was enough to have Urianger nearly foaming at the mouth, it was…well, actually it seemed to happen slowly. It was like he got more and more consumed over time. And then after Il was born, he seemed to…kick it up a notch."

"I'll have to talk to him about it, then," he says. "Urianger only becomes that involved when he thinks he's close to a breakthrough. And I'll be certain to ply him with snacks every few hours. I have never known a man to miss so many meals as Urianger does."

"I find it helps to place a plate of something next to him and just let him kind of pick at the food," I say. "He does it without thinking like his _body_ notices his hunger, but_ he_ doesn't."

"Ha!" he says, laughing a bit. "I'll have to try that-"

"Minfillia don't touch that one!" I shout over to the left where she's started leaning in toward a purple flower. "And back away slowly, it tends to spit poison clouds if agitated."

She slowly stands up and backs away until she feels far enough, then dashes over to stand beside me with my flower basket still dangling off her arm. "What is it called?"

"Giggle Flower," I say. "The Pixies made them to enthrall mortals and put them into a giggly, happy state so that they're easier to play with."

"That sounds almost nice," she says.

"It can be used as a recreational drug, I think," I say. "But it would need a LOT of refining to be totally sure nobody could die using it, so don't try it, alright?"

"I wasn't going to," she says.

"It's better to say it, one way or another," I reply. "Just keep it in mind, intentions or no."

She looks down into the basket and fiddles with some of the blue flowers in it she must've picked back at the start of the path. "I will."

Thancred watches us and as I look over, he seems to be wiping a smirk off his face. "Well, I suppose we should pick up the pace. Don't want Urianger to start missing you if you've been gone too long."

I honestly doubt he noticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! This is the last wednesday of this month and I've got another story queued up for next months' wednesdays so you won't be seeing another update on this one for AT LEAST a month-- but maybe by then I'll have figured out my shit and gotten my old system back or something, who knows.

**Author's Note:**

> Please remember to leave a review!
> 
> Reviews remind me that my stories exist and also give me motivation to finish them. You might think that's being dramatic, but eh...I've got depression brain so bad I can barely remember yesterday.
> 
> Even if your review is just filled with emojis, of course it'll be appreciated.
> 
> And I LOVE long reviews, no matter how long-- so don't feel like you're bugging me, I promise you aren't.
> 
> Critique is also allowed but please keep it to technical problems like grammar and spelling and stuff like that-- or correcting my canon names usage because sometimes I get names mixed up-- cause I've gotten people giving me concrit on things that are just personal opinions and that is not really that helpful.
> 
> You can of course tell me if you think a part is dragging on or if you'd take out an action sequence or something because that scene felt out of place. I love to hear things like that.
> 
> But if it's not objective critique, it's not very helpful.
> 
> EX:  
"I don't like Minfillia/Ryne and therefore hate that you've included her in your story" is not objective critique or even personal critique on a story element, it's just expecting me to cater to your personal tastes and I can't do that for everyone.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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